If you can’t read the whole post, we highly recommend listening to the interview on the road or on your phone!

Last week, we witnessed the founding class of DSST: College View prepare for their next chapter. This week, we’re checking in with DSST @ Noel, a school that is just beginning their DSST journey. In this special multimedia edition of At Our Core, we’ve included an audio interview with Brandi Chin, the founding School Director of Noel.  We also heard from two other founding team members: Chad Edwards, Physical Education Teacher & Athletic Director, and Denisse Gutierrez, Office Manager.

All three founding members are thrilled to be a part of the new school community filled with dedicated staff, talented students, and engaged parents. Being part of the founding team has been a great learning experience. “One thing I’ve learned since school started is the importance of community and getting to know all of our staff members and all of our kids,” Chad mentions,   and he’s really excited to see them grow all the way through eighth grade.

While there’s been a lot to take in, Denisse was very impressed by the level of parent engagement- while she knew they would be great, the level of involvement truly surpassed her expectations. “I felt like parents were going to be really supportive of students, but it’s a big surprise at how interactive they are” Denisse shares. “They continue to ask what else they can do to be part of the community. I’ve heard other schools struggle with that, so it’s a big surprise.”

“Your whole school culture is everything… the culture that you create will pay dividends throughout the year.”

School Director Brandi Chin discusses everything she has learned while launching Noel, as well as the pleasant surprises and challenges that have emerged so far this year.  Brandi had a larger vision for what DSST @ Noel should look like, and was meticulous in planning for a strong school culture to serve as the foundation for a space where rigorous learning can happen. This spanned from strategic hiring decisions to envisioning what the hallways should look like and how morning meetings should unfold.

While founding a new school has its challenges, Brandi is confident that her stellar team and enthusiastic students are ready to conquer it all. We couldn’t agree more. Go Bulldogs!  

Listen here for the full interview

Do you have your own DSST @ Noel stories and pictures to share? Send them to mac@scienceandtech.org.